Plastic Time
by superyuui
Summary: History is flexible and subject to change; sometimes we don't even notice it. When a green-skinned time traveler starts invading Terra's normal teenaged life, she just about thinks history's gone to the dogs. BBT, AU. Language, Themes.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

A clean conscience.

You've probably done lots of things. Things you wish could be wiped away, like dirt on your skin.

A clean conscience is the monster in my closet. The bogeyman under my bed. The shadow that follows my dreams.

When I remember them, that is.

My parents abandoned me 36 hours in. I got found, underweight and sickly, and I had foster parents. Sucky foster parents who made even suckier adoptive parents. When I got old enough to think in logical strings they just… left me during the day to fend for myself. I guess that was my second experience of "tough love".

Moving out at 16 - without so much as a blink of high school - was ambitious and, looking back on it, a little stupid. For a while it was just me, my clothes and the world. Even when I did get a job and a leaky roof over my head, the only thing on my mind was the open road.

I kept moving around, going where the wind blew me. I didn't even have to think about it and I'd be gone again, on my way to another crappy job and another grotty flat with a leaky roof.

I didn't regret it though. It was weird; I _should_ have regretted it. I should have regretted a lot of things but… I didn't see the point in regret. As long as I learned instead of passing notes, regrets were just lessons in strange wrapping.

That was something Garfield taught me, back when we were kids. Something he taught me again when we were teenagers and strangers to each other. Something he taught me again when we later met for the first time.

Something I never really learned.

No regrets isn't a part of me.

To someone whose past is fake, having no regrets, having a clean conscience… those things are just collateral damage.


	2. Chapter 1: Terra

Terra wove her way through the aisles of tables and chairs to her customer, producing a menu and handing it to him with a smile.

"My name's Terra and I'm your waitress for this afternoon, can I take your order?" she reeled off, keeping her tone as upbeat as she could. "Soup of the day is Leek and Potato," she informed before the customer could ask, "All of our meals come with a side of fries and free coffee refills."

The customer said something that went directly to the order pad – bypassing her brain entirely – and she smiled mechanically, finishing the rest of the bullshit transaction, trying to not glance at the clock. Or at least to not glance at the clock too often.

Ben's - the little diner she worked at - wasn't much. The wallpaper, once a happy yellow, had long been bleached off-white in the sun. The tables wobbled, the chairs with their ripped upholstery creaked and grease hung thick in the air. Terra was a waitress, but most of her time was spent mopping the floors and cleaning the grime from the windows in an effort to draw more people in. There were only two other waitresses and a pair of cooks, but they always outnumbered the custom .

The shifts were long, hard and boring and the routine of her day would have been enough to wear her teeth down to the gums, but she supposed she shouldn't complain. As young as she had been on first coming to Jump City, she had been extremely lucky to get the position.

"I'm going on my break, Pam," she said when she was inside the kitchen, tossing her apron down on the side, fishing her pack of cigarettes from her pocket. Not waiting for a reply from her senior waitress, Terra opened the back door and sat outside on the step, lighting the end of the cigarette and letting it hang loosely in her fingers.

The weather outside wasn't exactly cheerful, but the chill and damp of the drizzle were a blessing compared to the thick muggy air inside. A shiver wracked her for a moment and she wrapped her bare arms around herself, careful not to touch the cigarette to her equally bare legs.

Feeling a headache come on, Terra closed her eyes and bowed her head, letting the sounds of downtown Jump wash over her. Barely nineteen and smoking? What would her parents say…

"You know that's bad for you, right?" came a light voice from the alley. She opened her eyes.

"Sorry, your order's not ready yet," she told the cute guy with a smile, flicking her fingers to expel the cigarette ash. The clouds above threatened rain.

"Actually," he scratched the back of his head, "I was kinda hoping you might have a vacancy."

"You looking for work?" she asked, quickly losing interest, watching the cigarette tip flare red with the breeze, fighting another shudder, shifting closer to the open doorway. Already so cold… Autumn must be coming on fast this year.

He laughed suddenly and she felt the soft brush of his hoodie as he sat in the space next to her, far away enough to not be invasive. "You got me; this is how I pick up girls. Is it working?"

Terra grinned and looked up at him, though her retort stuck in her throat and she froze.

"Y-.. you're _green_," she said, eyes wide.

He just watched her reaction, and smiled after a few moments, only serving to unnerve her further.

Why wasn't this scaring him? Who just randomly turns green in the middle of a conversation?

Unless… Had he always been green? Was she only noticing now?

"This would be the part where I remind you that smoking is bad for your health," he shrugged, "But I suppose I don't have anything to worry about. Passive smoking won't hurt you too bad."

Terra frowned, even more confused. "I'm not passive smoking," she raised her hand up to show him, "why would I have a cigarette in my hand if I was passive smoking?"

The green guy shrugged and met her gaze steadily. "You tell me."

Unable to think of a comeback, Terra huffed and looked away, flicking the cigarette again. They sat in silence, and a few fat raindrops landed on the pavement.

"What's your name?" he asked suddenly, and Terra gave him a look.

"You know what my name is," she said, glancing pointedly at her name tag. He grinned infectiously at her, and she found she had to consciously stop herself from grinning in return.

"I know. I was just hoping it would lead you to ask my name too."

Terra laughed a little despite herself, "I guess I foiled your plans then."

He smiled widely at her, and she averted her gaze.

"I'm Beast Boy," he pointed towards himself with a thumb, "but I guess that's a little conspicuous, so you should call me 'BB'." he finished, ignoring the look Terra was giving him.

There was a tense pause during which Beast Boy's 100-watt grin didn't dim even slightly, serving to piss Terra off even more.

Finally, Terra stood up and adjusted her canary yellow uniform (it was obviously designed with curvier women in mind) and looked down at him with barely concealed annoyance.

"You're funny," she remarked sarcastically, putting her cigarette out with the heel of her shoe, "We don't have any vacancies."

With that, she turned and re-entered the kitchen, closing the door behind her.

-

It wasn't long after her break that the skies opened, showering the streets in a heavy downpour of rain that continued right to the end of her shift.

By the time she'd made it to the bus shelter a few roads away, she was soaked through to the bone. She stood shivering, arms wrapped tight around herself, long blonde hair plastered to her face and neck. The streets were deserted, which wasn't odd in this part of town, and the rain hammered on the roof of the shelter so loud that she couldn't even hear her teeth chattering. She danced on the spot, hoping the movement would warm her up but instead it just made her shiver ever more violently.

"Come on, bus.." she muttered to herself, looking both ways as if the bus would come from the other direction to confuse her.

"You look cold,'

Terra jumped, whirling around to where the amused remark had come from.

"Are you following me?" she asked, trembling with chills, noticing with a surge of annoyance that the green guy - she _refused_to call him Beast Boy - looked warm like it was a sunny day in June.

"Do you not own a coat or something?" he continued as if he hadn't heard her, hands in his pockets, leaning nonchalantly against the bus stop.

Terra stood shivering for a few seconds before she replied, "It's August."

The green guy watched her for a moment and Terra felt slightly … intimidated by the protective look in his eyes.

"Look, Terra…" he started cautiously, "'Beast Boy' is an alias."

Well, that much was obvious. Terra rolled her eyes and looked away.

"I'm sorry I made you mad but," at this, he trailed off and she looked back up at him. He was frowning, not at her, but as if he could not find the right words, "You aren't gonna believe anything I have to say to you if you can't believe that 'Beast Boy' is the name I go by so I guess…" he reached toward her, resting a tentative hand on her shoulder, "I'm asking you to take a leap of faith."

Terra thought, scepticism obvious in her expression.

"You aren't gonna leave me alone until I hear you out, are you?"

"Nope," he shook his head, sheepishly apologetic.

Terra sighed and shrugged, indicating for him to continue.

"So, I guess the thing is…" he paused dramatically, leaning into her, continuing in a low voice "I'm from the future, and I'm here to save you."

Terra wanted to laugh, but the serious expression on his face made a dead weight settle in her stomach. After a while, he cracked a grin and stuck his tongue out at her, blowing a raspberry.

Terra was laughing until the bus arrived.

-

Terra stamped her feet against the concrete floor. She let the heavy door swing shut behind her and, fishing around in her pockets for her keys, she climbed the stairs to her tiny, dingy apartment. She shoved the key into the lock, pressing against the door with her side. She knew from experience that it wouldn't open any other way.

The door opened and she shuddered unpleasantly. Her entire flat was _freezing_. Stepping inside, she moved the water bucket back to its post in the middle of the hall; the ceiling was dripping again. She made a mental note to go for the ground floor flat next time.

She stood in the hall and peeled her sodden uniform off, hanging it on the radiator and hoping that it would dry in time for her shift in the morning. Terra hugged herself and regret prodded at her; she could have done with Beast Boy's hoodie after all.

_/Terra turned to the bus and leaned toward it to board. She heard a zipper being undone and then there was a light weight on her shoulders and the feel of warm fleece on her bare arms. Clutching the hoodie together in one hand to keep it from slipping, she looked back in confusion.___

_"I can't take your hoodie," she told him after a moment, starting to take it off.___

_Beast Boy shrugged, "You need it more than me, skinny T," he had replied, a slight laugh at the end.___

_"I just met you. I don't even know your name. Your real name," she amended, peeling the hoodie – now damp from her skin- off and handing it back to him.___

_He accepted the black and purple garment back without question, as if he expected it to happen.___

_"My apartment isn't far from the bus stop. I'll be fine," she promised, feeling like this was the kind of person she had to say such things to. It frightened her a little, "and don't call me Skinny T, Green Bean."/_

Terra sighed. Beast Boy – though annoying and invasive and a little creepy – was growing on her.

Fiddling with her necklace, she flicked the hob on and tipped the rest of a can of Baked Beans into a saucepan. Sitting up on the counter, she chewed her necklace chain, staring off in thought.

Beast Boy really _was_ nice… when he wasn't being irritating. Although… she supposed she'd overreacted at the whole name thing, so that just left her with "Beast Boy really was nice"… and she wasn't sure how she felt about that.

She came out of her thoughts with a zing – a literal one – and threw herself away from the hob. She hopped on one leg for a few seconds in a blind panic before thrusting her other leg under the the cold tap, cursing loudly.

"OW OW OW owwwww fucking _OW_!" she whined to herself, watching the burn turn white under the cold water.

Well, this was just great. The first time she thinks of a guy in a _girly_ way, she burns the top layers of skin off of her leg.

"I must be cursed." Terra murmured bitterly to herself, fishing around in the cutlery drawer for a bandage.

-

_You look around, and you know you're in a cave. There's a small light in the corner, not enough to see clearly, but you know you're in a cave just like you know you're breathing and just like you know your heart's beating inside your ribs and your eyes blinking inside your head.___

_"This is fine work, Apprentice." a voice says, and a shiver runs up your spine.___

_You feel conflict.___

_A figure comes into view and the last thing you see is a half-orange mask._

-

Terra gasped. Sitting up hurriedly, she felt her head hit something and she threw herself back down onto her pillow, blinking away stars. Fighting through the pain, she scrambled around on the floor – she must have rolled off of her bed in the night – looking around desperately for something to write on.

She found the pen first, and then an old Chinese takeaway menu with enough of a margin to be useable. Pressing the pen to paper, Terra paused.

And cursed.

It was gone.

She threw the pen across the room and groaned in exasperation, pressing her head to the floor.

She had been so close…

The shrill cry of her alarm summoned her back from her depression. She shut it off and mused over the fact that she didn't feel accomplishment from remembering long enough to know she remembered, but instead she felt anguish that she remembered long enough to know she forgot.

She sighed, and then she let the feeling go completely.

It was time for another day in heaven.


	3. Chapter 2: Beast Boy

It was stupid, and he knew it was stupid, but Beast Boy couldn't help going back to Ben's Diner the next day.

"We still don't have vacancies."

He turned from his menu to see Terra, one hand on a hip and the other holding a pot of fresh coffee. Her blonde hair was down, flirting with her shoulders, kept out of her face by her silver butterfly slide. She looked annoyed, but at the same time there was a softness in her eyes – friendliness. Quickly wiping the fond expression off of his face, he gestured to the menu in his hands.

"I actually want food this time," he assured her with a grin, "A veggie burger if you can, doll-face," he teased, tongue-in-cheek, inwardly delighted at the amused snort she made as a result.

"Coming right up, puddin'," she smiled, humouring him.

Beast Boy's eyes narrowed at her retreating figure. Trying to see without moving his head too obviously, he created a mental picture of the Diner as it was in its current state.

There were four other customers there, three of which he had spotted the previous day. He made a point to look out for them in the future; they could just be regular customers or, as was more likely and considering the state of the Diner, they could mean trouble.

He turned back to his place and busied himself with his napkin, shredding and thinking at the same time. He'd leave for the day – it'd convince Terra he really was job hunting, at least – and return in the evening before her shift finished. Just to check up on her.

He fished around in his pocket and put a bill of some sort on the table, not really glancing twice at its value. He turned and nearly crashed into Terra.

"Woah!" she exclaimed, having to quickly jerk the veggie burger out of the way, "So you're just gonna take off without your food?" she interrogated after a split-second, staring at him in exasperation.

"Sorry babe, duty calls," he winked, sliding past her, "don't eat that burger; I'll be back for it later!"

He grinned as he walked out the door, hearing her grumble "Eat it? Yeah right…"

-

Utilising the ears, eyes and nose of the foxhound he posed as, Beast Boy pressed his face to the ground, sniffing at the sidewalk.

Beast Boy had been doubly lucky with the rainfall the previous day. Not only had it washed away old scents that would have confused him further, but it had also stopped long enough ago that new ones could settle.

He hadn't been totally certain on the scents of the two watchers, as he referred to them in his mind. Because of the nature of the diner, it threw out all kinds of smells that put him off course and it had taken him longer than half an hour to settle on one of them long enough to track it.

Careful not to run into anybody – nobody would see a green dog and forget it, and he didn't need the publicity right now, much as he loved to be in the spotlight – he had taken himself almost all the way to the centre of the city before the trail showed any kind of origin.

Before he could be spotted, he transformed, this time into a tiny midge. Flying soundlessly toward the concrete block (he assumed it had once been a small apartment building), he found his way in through a miniscule gap in the window sealant. What he saw instantly confirmed his suspicions.

The room he was in was small, and a door across from him was ajar. It was sparsely decorated and the walls were completely bare, even from wallpaper and paint. There was a rug on the floorboards – a suspicious-looking stain peeking out from under it – and a computer on a coffee table.

He couldn't hear or see anyone in the building, and so didn't hesitate to resume human form. Logging onto the out of place high-tech computer (Cyborg had taught him basic hacking skills a few months ago, after finally admitting that the changeling wasn't as accident-prone as he once had been), Beast Boy searched through the files. His mind burned with the desire to know what they knew; to know _how much_ they knew.

Looking through the various bits of compiled information, he had to consciously make the effort more than once to not delete the folders - this was purely a reconnaissance mission, after all – even though a lot of what was stored made him furious. Not only was there data on Terra's job, her address, her physical appearance, but there were things like 'sleeps between 9pm and 10pm, rises at 7am', and 'mainly eats canned food'. The information wasn't particularly revealing, until you realised that this meant they weren't only watching her at work,_they were watching her every move_. They had literally _everything_ written down about her. They had taken her life and turned it into a file on a computer.

Beast Boy's fingers twitched over the keyboard as his heart raced and his blood boiled. He couldn't delete the files, but… maybe he could change the information? Tweak a few things here and there? It wouldn't change the memories of the people watching her, he knew that, but maybe they would notice the changes and just accept them, overlook them as a lapse in their own memories?

He licked his lips. Terra wasn't the only one on here, he noticed with a twinge of ire. He opened a file or two and messed around with the information just enough to make it unrecognised by the program's dictionary; just enough to make it irrelevant in any final profile.

Beast Boy jumped as the sound of heavy footsteps registered in his brain. He whirled around in time to see someone – a new person – enter the room. The new guy was big, really big. His bicep looked to be bigger than Beast Boy's head. Luckily, he still had a momentary advantage; his opponent had yet to process the fact that someone had infiltrated their hideout and, even luckier, hadn't yelled to alert any others.

Beast Boy fought against what was now basic instinct to him and remained human. His perception filter would only work if he didn't show off his meta-human powers, and getting discovered wasn't as bad as getting recognised. He sprang forward, putting all of his momentum and weight in a punch to the other guy's throat. He had seen it in a movie once – paralyse the vocal chords to stop them screaming.

It worked – though Beast Boy wasn't as physically strong as someone like Robin, the guy's attempted call for help came out as just a rasping cough. The guy dodged Beast Boy's follow up kick and swung his own foot out, taking Beast Boy's legs out from under him.

Beast Boy hit the floor hard, rolling away to avoid getting stamped on and springing up using his hands. He deflected the guy's punch and threw one of his own, hitting the guy in the jaw. A memory sparked in his mind.

_'Cranial nerve behind the lower jaw; moving jaw into nerve equals KO'_

Jabbing forward with his fist, he hit the jaw again. There was a sickening crack and the guy fell down, unconscious.

Beast Boy rubbed his knuckles with a wince; he wasn't used to fighting in his human form. He already had dark bruises blossoming across his hands.

Pain exploded in his kidney and he staggered forward, turning in time to block a second hit. He cursed under his breath and brought his knee up into his second opponent's stomach. The new guy, skinnier than the first, doubled over a little and Beast Boy wasted no time in kicking him in the head. The guy was thrown backwards, hitting the floor with the back of his skull. Knocked out.

Beast Boy quickly checked both pulses and then turned both of the men over into the recovery position. He wasn't out to have dead people on his conscience.

He logged off of the computer and slipped out of the crack in the window again.

He hadn't been recognised, but his stomach wouldn't settle. Travelling further into Jump, he didn't let himself celebrate his victory, a single thought weighing heavy on his mind.

That had been way too easy.

-

Beast Boy pushed open the permanently greasy door of Ben's Diner and was greeted by even less custom than was usual. It was literally dead; so much so that only Terra and the cook remained, both of them playing cards over the counter.

The cook – a tall ginger chick with too much makeup – smirked and nudged the blonde waitress in the arm. Terra looked up and smiled

"Hi!"

"Hi," he replied, standing awkwardly in the door.

For a moment, the only sound was the cook chewing her gum, mouth open. Terra cleared her throat and nudged the woman, gesturing with a tilt of her head.

The cook – Sandy, her nametag said – told Beast Boy to take a seat before disappearing into the kitchen.

Not waiting for her to return, he took the seat opposite Terra, stealing a fry from her plate.

"So... are you one of those 'nothing with a face' kind of guys?" Terra asked him, referring to his order from the morning,

"Since I was six." he stated proudly and puffed his chest out, taking a card from the deck. He threw it onto the pile.

"That's a pretty big commitment. After all, you're what? Seven years old?" she teased, shoving more fries into her mouth before they could be eaten for her.

He snorted, wrestling another chip from the bowl.

"Actually, can you keep a secret?" he asked, lowering his voice and leaning in. She leant in too, eyes wide with curiosity. He looked side to side and leant in further.

"I once ate a potato chip that looked like fat Elvis."

Terra whacked his shoulder and he yelped, laughing. Sandy reappeared, putting Beast Boy's reheated burger in front of him along with _'Jump Journal'_

"Newspaper with your breakfast, sir," Terra explained as Sandy curtsied, snickering. Beast Boy pretended to take off a monocle and wipe it with the hem of his shirt.

"Very good," he replied, replacing the 'monocle' and opening the paper, "As you were."

A comfortable silence fell, punctuated by the sounds of Beast Boy thumbing through the paper and of the two of them munching on their food. He waited until Terra wasn't paying attention before, discreet, he ripped an article out of one of the inside pages.

A white bandage caught his eye as he pocketed the cutting.

"What happened to your leg?" Beast Boy asked slowly, looking back up at her and raising an eyebrow.

"Burned it," she answered nonchalantly. She carried on with her card game, not even meeting his gaze, "It's no big deal."

He watched her chew her fingernail for a moment before he stood and slipped around the counter. She yelped in shock as he lifted her up, sitting her on the countertop.

"W-what are you doing?" she stammered, bewildered.

"I'm just taking a look," he murmured, brows knitted in concentration as he unraveled the bandage, careful to not pull at the burn, "Did you cool it down?"

"Ran it under the tap for a minute."

He looked up at her disapprovingly.

"What?" she shrank away from him a little, raising an eyebrow.

"You're meant to cool it for at least ten minutes, Terra. Otherwise it keeps burning," Beast Boy paused, pushing his concern and protectiveness away. "Stay here." he ordered, turning into the kitchen.

He stood still for a moment, pinching the bridge of his nose. He had to keep himself in check – at least for now. At least until he had her friendship. He opened his eyes after a minute or two and looked around.

The surfaces, appliances and utensils were stainless steel and the floor was covered in cream tiles, a lot of them cracked in the corners. Even though the back door was open (through which he could see the top of Sandy's head and a waft of cigarette smoke curling up away from her) , the air was thick with grease and he wrinkled his nose, slipping across what he hoped was the freshly cleaned floor to the refrigerator. Not feeling like searching through every cabinet for a first aid kit, he wrapped some ice cubes in a couple of kitchen towels and slid his way back to the door.

He went to Terra without a word, carefully and tenderly pressing the ice against her leg.

"You should take better care of yourself, Terra…" he murmured, sadness weighing at him. She'd already lost her way so much…

Beast Boy felt Terra tense.

"What is your problem?" she exclaimed, pushing at his shoulder. He felt his expression harden as he fought the rush of emotion that came with her rejection, "Where do you get off, telling me what to do?"

"I tell you what to do because sometimes it feels like I'm the only one who cares about what happens to you," he hissed, almost satisfied in the way she froze. He looked down and wrapped the bandage around his makeshift ice pack to hold it in place.

Beast Boy glanced up to look at Terra again. Her anger had dissipated, confusion swimming in her blue eyes, a slight frown on her forehead. His heart tugged and he itched to explain everything to her right there and then.

He swallowed his desperation, straightened up and turned away to leave.

"Beast Boy, wait…" he heard her sigh behind him. There was a soft tap as her shoes hit the linoleum floor and then an even softer touch on his arm. He turned to her – since when was he so much taller than she was? – and her eyes were fixed nervously on the floor for a moment before she looked up.

"You wanna… hang out… sometime?" she said, her voice steadier than either of them had expected.  
He grinned.

"Sure. That'd be cool," he reached to her and brushed a couple of unruly strands of hair away from her face. She leant up to him slightly and he resisted the urge to reciprocate, "I'll see you in a few days, kid."

"I'm older than you, Brat Boy," she replied, smirking.

He laughed. "Of course you are, tiny T."


	4. Chapter 3: Arcade

Terra scrubbed her eyes with the heels of her palms and sighed deeply, rolling over in her bed. She reached blindly for her notepad and, still half asleep, scribbled on the page.

Finished, she dropped the pencil. She yawned widely and scratched her neck, wriggling out of bed and dragging her feet all the way to the bathroom.

_Mornings…_

Something flashed in her eyes and she groaned, scrunching her face up against the memory and the headache that would follow it.  
_  
__/It was cold, and she shivered slightly. There was warmth at her side and she was comforted by the sight of purple and black and the sound of loud snoring./_

She opened her eyes and sighed, resting her forehead against the cool glass of the mirror.

Every day for the past week… she'd remembered her dreams. She'd had flashbacks. She'd smelled, seen, heard things she hadn't in years and she could pinpoint what they were. In other words, progress was definitely good – she'd even managed to jot a few things down just in case she forgot again. Her only problem was Beast Boy.

Her memory had almost jump started since he had rolled into town, and she wasn't entirely sure he didn't have anything to do with it.

She exhaled through her nose and shook her head to dispel the stray thoughts, turning to hop into the shower.

This would be her day off, but Marie would probably be AWOL again. At least this month's paycheck would be fatter than the customers, she supposed. Maybe she'd even have enough to get a better place, she thought, glaring up at the showerhead as the water took its sweet time warming up.

As expected, the phone was ringing as she turned the shower off.

-

It wasn't until he burst through the door, all grins and giggles, that Terra realised she'd been waiting for Beast Boy to show up for the whole of the shift.

"Veggie burger?" she guessed, wiping the countertop in front of his seat.

"And a radiator," he replied, shrugging off his sodden hoodie and shaking the rain from his hair, "Never seen so much August rain in my life, I swear. But hey," he glanced around at the diner, looking back at her with a cheeky smirk, "At least it hasn't deterred the business."

She rolled her eyes and hit him on the shoulder, though the smile was infectious, and went to get his order. He was right – it hadn't harmed business. Not that it had added to it, either.

Beast Boy stayed at the diner longer than his veggie burger was on the plate – not that anybody minded. He brought positivity in like the yellow walls were meant to.

Terra felt Beast Boy lean to her, and she realised she'd been spacing out. She fought down her blush, looking away quickly.

"You wanna go out later?" Beast Boy said in her ear, mostly so that he could be heard over a group of kids in the corner,

"Where?" she asked back. He shrugged.

"Anywhere!"

She laughed loudly and shook her head, drawing away from him.

"I have to get home-"

"Why?" he cut in, continuing when she didn't have an answer, "Come on, just a quick trip to the arcades?"

"The arcades?" she raised an eyebrow. He gave her a mock-pleading look and she sighed dramatically, "I guess I don't have anything else to do tonight."

-

"You're doing it all wrong, you gotta jump _then_ kick."

"Well excuse me for being new to – AAH!" Terra pressed buttons wildly as the two-dimensional baddie attacked, "I suck!" she exclaimed, narrowly dodging being entirely KOed.

Beast Boy stepped up behind her, taking the joystick, "Press buttons when I say, ok?" he said, looking at the screen around her head, "Don't get all trigger-happy either, blondie."

Terra elbowed him lightly but did as told, pushing the sleeves of Beast Boy's hoodie up her arm.

She'd finally relented and accepted it from him when his badgering had become unbearable.

She'd been cold, and the hoodie was so warm. And it smelled good. But it was mostly the badgering that did her in.

"Terra PRESS RED WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Beast Boy nearly screamed, shaking her with his spare arm, and she screamed too, flailing between the two buttons on the machine.

"I'M PRESSING RED I'M PRESSING RED!"

"IF THAT WAS RED I'D BE SHOOTING THE CRAP OUT OF THE GOO MONSTER!"

"AAAH!" Terra wailed, hammering on the red button. The enemy shot a blast at them that connected, and their character fell down.

The music cut, the screen turned black and flashed the words YOU LOSE at them.

There was momentary silence.

Then, suddenly, as if there was nothing else they could do, Terra and Beast Boy both burst into hysterics, clinging to each other and the game machine to stop falling to the floor.

Terra wiped her eyes and turned around in the arc of Beast Boy's arms. She leaned up and circled her own arms around him in a hug. He was warm and strong and it just felt so natural that it took her more than a moment to realise what she was doing.

"Uh," she stepped back, hitting the machine, "s-sorry!"

He laughed, "It's fine, chica!" he leant down and waggled his eyebrows, "in fact, I kinda dig where this is going."

Terra laughed, shaking her head, "Cool it down, Romeo," she warned, but hugged him again anyway. There was something that just made her feel so… comfortable… protected. Somehow, feeling safe meant a lot to her now.

She felt his arms enclose her, pull her tighter to him, and she had to tiptoe to compensate. Her eyes closed and she breathed him in, pressing her forehead to his neck.

Someone behind Beast Boy cleared their throat and they separated as if electrocuted.

"Are you done with that game?" a little kid asked, not making eye contact and blushing awkwardly.

Terra's face burned with embarrassment and Beast Boy laughed sheepishly, taking her hand and pulling her away.

"Sure thing, dude, sorry about that!" he answered, pulling Terra along behind him. He lasted a grand total of five seconds before cracking up again while Terra remained mortified, a hand over her eyes.

"What are you, twelve?" Beast Boy asked her teasingly, draping his arm across her shoulders, "Come on, there's something you gotta try."

-

When Beast Boy presented Terra with a French fry dipped in chocolate milkshake and gestured for her to eat it, her initial thought was that he must have been joking.

"Go on, it's really good!"

Apparently he wasn't.

"I'm not eating that."

Beast Boy pulled a face at her and ate it himself. Swallowing, he continued.

"See?"

"See what? You don't like meat – I can't trust your food judgement." Terra retorted, smirking. Beast Boy rolled his eyes playfully.

"Fine." he replied petulantly, shoving a few more fries into his mouth "I guess I'll savour this delicacy on my own."

"You do that," Terra threw a chip at him, "I have to go soon, it's late."

Somehow, she knew without even having a conversation about it that Beast Boy would walk her back to her flat. He took her hand – it had almost become normal now – and was the warmth at her side for the entire journey.

Luckily for them, they hadn't had to walk too far and the rain had stopped just after Terra's shift at the diner had ended, so they were at least dry this time. Beast Boy put his arm across Terra's shoulders again when she started to shiver, and she put hers around his back in reciprocation. He was deliciously warm, even without his thick hoodie.

"This is me," she said, pushing open the outside door to her little building. She stopped at her door and turned to him, taking his hoodie off and giving it back. She shuddered at the sudden blast of cold air against her bare arms and stepped closer as if he were a radiator.

He put his hand on her cheek and she sighed, smiling. _Waaaarm…._

She looked up and her heart jumped in her chest at the intense expression on his face and instantly she felt herself drawn in.

Almost without thinking, rising up onto her tiptoes, Terra pressed her mouth to Beast Boy's in a chaste kiss. She sank back onto her feet, neither of them breaking eye contact for a millisecond.

Beast Boy's eyebrows drew together a little and he looked like he was going to reciprocate but, almost reluctantly and with unreadable emotion in his eyes, Beast Boy relinquished his hold on Terra, letting her drop to her feet. He studied her for a moment, solemn.

Beast Boy then pecked her forehead and turned away without a word, heading down the stairs.

When the heavy outer door shut behind him, Terra groaned and her head fell back, hitting the door. She looked up at the ceiling as if it would give her answers and, when it didn't, turned into her apartment.

She ran her hands over her arms, deep in thought. Mechanically, she changed for bed, changing the bandage over her burn in the process. It had felt a lot better today… It hadn't restricted her walking, for one thing. The memory of Beast Boy's hands - a little rougher than they looked, but gentle to make up for it - from the day before came to her and she frowned a little.

While Terra couldn't remember a lot of her life, she didn't recognise this level of confusion. And the truth was; the comment he had made about people caring for her had hit her in a sensitive place she didn't know she even _had_.

So... how could he know of it... when she didn't?

Terra sighed in exasperation and rubbed her eyes. She was nowhere near tired, but crawled into bed all the same.

The only thought that came into her mind before falling asleep was that at least now she didn't feel cold.


	5. Chapter 4: Letters

As Beast Boy stared down at the rodent-cage-esque littering of newspaper cuttings on his floor, only one thought came forth in his mind.

_This is so stupid._

Of course, that was what everyone else thought too, it seemed. His eyes flicked over the crumpled up paper in his hand, remembering the words without seeing them.

The first message had been calm. Told him to get it together and get back to base. Raven.

The second was a bit more understanding, but urged him back nonetheless. Messing with time like this could do weird stuff to the future. Beast Boy remembered Cyborg's love for Time and Space tech, and could even detect a hint of enthusiasm in the man's messages.

Of course, the ones that followed got more frantic. There was no way for him to reply- how did they know he wasn't dead? The only person who seemed to support him, oddly, was Starfire.

Starfire had been the only one that he had ever really been able to talk to, absent-minded as she tended to be. She understood far more than she let on when it came to time travel, and more than that when it came to people. Starfire knew what Beast Boy was risking, but she also knew why sitting by and letting everything happen was not an option for him either.

Beast Boy thought of her – of all of them – and ached. He felt more out of his depth in this time than he'd ever imagined…

Besides… He wasn't even sure if the wormhole would work both ways.

Frustrated, Beast Boy exhaled through his nose and checked his watch, mentally translating the Earth hours into his orbital body clock.

If he was stuck here, then he was stuck here.

He could get used to it. He could get used to living _anywhere_, especially seeing as his power hadn't been affected. As far as he could tell, he was _way _in the lead. They might not even get caught.

Well, okay. That was unlikely, but would definitely be a huge bonus nonetheless.

Beast Boy stood and the dusty floorboards beneath him creaked as he stretched out his stiff legs.

One message stuck out in his mind, a megaphone against the whispering voices of his concerned teammates.

_You're going to get yourself killed. Terra would never just _get caught_. There's more going on than you can see and you know it._

Yes, he knew it. He also knew that Robin was just concerned, but it still annoyed Beast Boy that years of proving himself had done nothing to change what others saw. More than anything, Robin had inadvertently motivated Beast Boy more than ever.

Unfortunately for him, this motivation quickly changed to despair as he approached Ben's later that evening.

It had been a few days since he'd last seen her – he assured himself it wasn't chickening out if your true intention was to not appear too "available" – and once again he felt himself begin to freak out over details.

Their parting a few days before left Beast Boy with mixed feelings.

On the one hand, he was thrilled at having _finally_ kissed her. Twice. Sort of. He supposed the forehead _did_ count, seeing as he'd never kissed her there either.

On the other, it raised so many more questions than the ones it had answered. She had initiated it, so he wasn't particularly confused on the "does this mean she likes me?" side of things. He had recognised the look in her eyes – the one look in the entire universe that made him feel like he had swallowed his own tongue – right before she leaned up to him, so it definitely hadn't been the first time she had wanted to do such a thing.

So why hadn't she?

Robin's words came to him again.

_There's more going on than you can see._

Should he carry on with his mission? Should he make her remember, when it was clearer now more than it ever had been that there was _something_ going on with Terra, something she couldn't remember anymore?

"Earth to Double-B; you in there?"

Beast Boy jumped and gave an embarrassing yelp of surprise.

He needed to stop daydreaming.

Oh well. At least he had managed to get into the diner this time, he conceded mentally as he looked up at Terra's quizzical expression.

Looked up?

Oh. He'd fallen off of his chair.

How dignified.

Beast Boy climbed back onto the bar stool and shot Terra a sheepish grin. She laughed for a second, before stopping and looking away, cheeks reddening slightly.

There was a long, awkward pause, during which Beast Boy's foot wouldn't stop twitching. Something in the room – whether it was the glare of light reflecting into his eyes from the sink or the annoying crackle of the old, tinny jukebox in the corner – was really getting on his nerves.

Terra cleared her throat and made eye contact again.

She looked so determined. It really was endearing…

"Look, about the other night…" she started slowly

_What? What about the other night? Oh god please don't take that away from me too_

"Yeah?" Beast Boy asked, mainly to urge her on.

"It was just… It was stupid" she continued, wringing her hands.

_No, it wasn't._

"I don't know what I was thinking,"

_Neither do I, but that doesn't make it a bad thing…_

"Maybe it would be better if we just… forgot it happened."

_No!_

"Uh, s-sure…" Beast Boy murmured, slightly downcast.

"You are like… the _most_ fun I have had in a while!" Terra insisted upon seeing his hesitation, "and it's not that I want to stop hanging out or anything, I just don't want to be the kind of friends that… well…" she seemed to search for the right word, her mouth opening and closing.

"Kiss…?" he finished for her.

"Exactly!" Terra grinned widely and clicked her fingers as she said it, "You understand!"

Beast Boy chuckled humourlessly. "Yeah."

"I'll go get you that veggie burger now," she said, and reached over to ruffle his hair. He hadn't ordered anything, but flashed her a thumbs-up anyway, glad for the chance to rearrange his facial expression.

_Way to go, Gar… _he thought bitterly. _Now what?_

Now what? Indeed.

xxxxxxxxxxx

"What's that one?" Terra asked, pointing up into the sky.

"The Plough," Beast Boy informed, only half paying attention. He looked over to Terra in time to see her mouth 'Plough' to herself and start looking around for another constellation.

"That one?"

"Did they not teach you anything at school? That's Taurus."

Terra stuck her tongue out at him, and the grass rustled underneath her as she moved her arms to fold them across her chest.

"I know Orion." She replied defensively, and Beast Boy snickered.

"There are five year olds who know where Orion is, Terra."

Terra huffed beside him and her arm brushed his briefly.

Beast Boy's heart jolted.

He turned his head toward her in time to see her do the same.

He was frozen in place and was suddenly hyper aware of everything – the smell of night dew, the tickle of the grass at the base of his neck, the flush on his cheeks – and cleared his throat. All at once, it was awkward again, and Terra shifted, moving to sit upright.

"I should get going," she murmured, and from where he was lying he couldn't see the expression on her face. After his lack of reply, she started to get up.

Beast Boy put a hand on her shoulder; not forceful, but enough to make her pause.

"Stay," he said softly.

_Please._

"That kiss meant something to you," he accused lowly, and felt her shoulder tense in his hand, "Stop run—"

"I told you to _forget about it,_" she growled, cutting him off. She shrugged his hand away and stood quickly.

Beast Boy's hands clenched into fists.

"What if I don't want to?" he retorted. At this, Terra whirled around. Her cheeks were flushed with anger, and bits of grass were stuck in her hair and on her clothes, and Beast Boy suddenly thought her beautiful.

"What is your PROBLEM?" ("_MY _problem?" Beast Boy exclaimed, but she ignored him and carried on,) "I said I just wanted to be friends and hang out and you were fine with it!"

"You think I was fine with that?" Beast Boy was standing now too, and he threw his arms out, "Terra, do you _know_ how long I've wanted to kiss you?"

"Just—STOP IT!" she screeched, hands also fisted but shaking at her sides, "Stop acting like you _know me_; you know NOTHING about me!"

"I know _EVERYTHING_ about you!" Beast Boy snarled, frustrated beyond normal limits.

Terra flinched as if struck, and Beast Boy fought hard to curb the rest of his outburst.

"You…" Terra started, after a moment of agonised tension, "You what?"

A cold, heavy weight ballooned in Beast Boy's insides.

She was afraid.

Terra was afraid of him, and he couldn't explain it all to her. Not like this.

At his silence (and, presumably, his guilty expression), Terra started backing away.

"Terra," he said, cautiously, and she turned and started to sprint away.

Beast Boy gave chase, calling after her.

"It's not what it sounds like!"

Terra disappeared into the trees that edged the meadow they had been lounging in and Beast Boy cursed. He had forgotten how quick she was. He paused, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

Senses wired, he stood stock still and surveyed his surroundings.

Something was setting off alarm bells in his head.

For a minute, he could hear nothing but the rustle of leaves in the light breeze and the insects in the undergrowth. He felt clammy under his hoodie, and his heart hammered in his chest.

He had been getting better at resisting the urge to transform, but the insistence in his head was pressing, and distracted him so much that he almost didn't hear the scream that sounded from somewhere on his right.

Urge suppressed, he took off toward the source of the sound. It was dark under the canopy of the trees, but his eyesight was better than most. Just like he could apply his human knowledge as an animal, he could apply his animal knowledge as a human, and as such he successfully dodged every obstacle with lightning fast reflex.

Without even a slight pause, he carried on running upon finding Terra and tackled her aggressor at full speed, and even though the man was a full head taller than Beast Boy, he was bowled severely off-course and into a tall shrub.

Beast Boy, not thrown off by surprise, had enough time to turn and order Terra to stay put before his opponent recovered. He didn't know if there were others out there, poised to strike after the first, and wouldn't take any chances. His stomach twisted - it was bad that she was being watched and followed, but he had thought that they would give up if she left the city limits. Well, he had _hoped_.

At least he knew for definite now.

A thick hand closed around Beast Boy's wrist and yanked him backwards. He lost his footing on a tree root and fell heavily to the forest floor, getting thoroughly winded in the process.

Beast Boy rolled to avoid the other fist as it was swung down toward him in an arc, aiming a kick for the enemy's groin. It connected, and was painful enough that Beast Boy's arm was released but not nearly as incapacitating as he had hoped it would be.

He scrambled around to where Terra was standing and stood in front of her in a protective stance. There was a moment spare that he used to fish around in his back pocket, before his opponent lunged again.

Beast Boy dodged nimbly and slammed into the other man's side, effectively using the other's weight against him. There was a thud as he fell to the floor and, before he could get up, Beast Boy struck him in the temple and he was knocked out cold.

After a moment, Beast Boy leaned down and pressed his forefingers to the attacker's neck, counting the pulses. Satisfied, he straightened up and started to hurriedly take his hoodie off.

"Wear this," he said to Terra, not looking at her but instead working hard to try and detect any other unwanted surprises, "hood up."

When she failed to do so, Beast Boy growled wordlessly and turned to look at her.

"I'm not a crazy stalker, so put the damn hoodie on already!" he hissed. Terra eyed him suspiciously.

"If you're not a crazy stalker then how come you 'know everything about me'?" she retorted, folding her arms.

"You remember that first week in August when I asked you to just … _trust me_?" he groaned in exasperation and thrust the hoodie at Terra again. Her eyes widened a fraction and she reached up for the garment, taking it from him slowly.

"I… knew you before?" she asked, tentatively, and Beast Boy felt that jolt again. He didn't answer, but thrust the hoodie at her another time. She huffed and snatched it, muttering 'Fine!' under her breath before yanking it over her head.

"I will explain," He conceded, "but not here and not now. And not at your place either. You're staying with me."

She looked prepared to argue, but closed her mouth after Beast Boy shot her a warning stare. They really had to get going, and they didn't have time for her to get on her high horse.

Beast Boy offered her his hand.

"Trust me."


End file.
